Improvement in suspenders and shoulder-braces combined



Y 2 SIIeeTs--SIIeet I. THOMAS 0. POTTER 8L JOSEPH WILLIAM SMITH.

Suspender and Shoulder-Brace Combined'.

Patented Oct. 17,1871.

Juve/@(52152 A2Sl1ees-Shee 2. Y THOMAS'O. POTTER & )OSEPH WLLlANI SMITH. Y

Y Suspender? and Shouider-Brace Cmbined.

No. 119,993, Parenredomman.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS O. POTTER AND JOSEPH WILLIAM SMITH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SUSPENDERS AND SHOULDER-BRACES COMBINED.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 119,993, dated October 17, 1871.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS O. POTTER and J osnrn WILLIAM SMITH, both of Boston, in the county of Suii'olk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Oom bined Suspender and Shoulder-Brace, of which the following is a specification:

Figures 1,2, and 3 show three forms of our combined suspender and shoulder-brace. Fig. 4- is a detailed view, showing a new method of attaching the slide.

The suspender and brace combined shown in the drawing is in its main Ifeatures substantially the same as that described in Letters Patent No. 116,093, granted to us June 20, 1871. It is formed of four straps, A A and B B united together at O, as shown, or in any other suitable manner, and the connecting-strap D D. The strap or straps 'D D (for it is obvious that the single piece of web, marked D D in the drawing, may be replaced by two separate pieces) is the saine thing substantially as the straps D D mentioned in our former patent, and all that is said of the straps D D in our former patent is true of the strap D D shown in our present drawing.

Instead of using the slide and loop combined, as described in our former patent, as the means of connecting the brace-strap D D with the backstraps, we prefer to use the slide E connected to the brace-strap, as shown in Fig. 4, which we regard as an important part of our present invention, and an improvement upon the device marked E in our former patent. E (see Fig. 4) is an ordinary slide, which is to be attached to the strap D, so that a second strap can pass through it at an angle with strap D. After trying several ways' of so attaching this slide to the strap D, (two of which are shown in our former patent,) we have found that the way shown in Fig.

4 answers admirably. In that igure E is the slide and bis a strap of any strong thin material, which is doubled around the cross-bar a of the slide, and then stitched or otherwise secured to the strap D. In this way the slide E may be iirinly secured at any desired angle to the strap D, and in such a way that a second strap can be very readily passed through the slide E.

We are aware that a suspender and brace combined, consisting of four straps or their equivalent, united together or crossing at the back, substantially in all these respects like ours, is old and well known; but in all of them the ends of the two straps which pass over the shoulders are always united to the connection C or to the backstraps, so as to form shoulder-loops, to which the short buttoning-straps are secured in various ways. We disclaim, therefore, any form of shoulder-brace and suspender combined in which the front ends of the shoulder-straps A A are not free; and we further disclaim the suspender and brace combined which forms the subject-matter of our former patent. It is also obvious that we do not claim a suspender consisting of the straps A A and B B, united or crossing at C.

What we do claim isl. The combination of the straps A A and B B with the strap D D and the attachments E E and F F the Whole arranged .and operating substantially as described.

2. The combination of the slide E and strap D by means of the web b, passed around the bar a, and secured to the strap D, in the manner clescribed.

THOMAS O. POTTER. JOSEPH WM. SMITH.

Witnesses HARTWELL NIoHoLs, 

